Page 91 of Chev's Mate

Gray’s one hundred and fiftieth birthday is a big deal, and my present will be the one he likes the most. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and even though Gray isn’t my favorite demon, I’ve decided that I like him enough.

“What’re you doing?” Vanessa asks, stepping farther into the bedroom.

She’s wearing her leathers, and I appreciatively scan her form as she rubs her belly and attempts to balance a mug of tea on top of it. Our twins have made her extra-large, andshe’s found that leathers are most comfortable to wear in her extended state.

Although a small part of me is convinced she’s wearing them to try to weaken my resolve. She knows I’m annoyed by her desire to name one of our babies Birdie, and she thinks me seeing her in leathers will lessen my resolve to fight.

She’s right, and I’m unhappy about it.

Vanessa’s attention flickers between me and my camera, and I turn back to the device with a low hum.

“I’m taking sexy photos of myself,” I say. My present is going to outshine everybody else’s. “For Gray’s birthday.”

I continue messing with the camera settings, trying to remember what Silas showed me. He’s good with these things, and I wish I had paid more attention.

“Sexy photos?” Vanessa asks.

I nod, smiling as I secure the camera on the tripod.

Vanessa watches, silently judging as I get into position. I lift my leather skirt until it sits high on my waist, exposing the mate and animal markings on my upper thigh. The camera makes clicking noises as it counts down, and I smile when the warning flash goes off.

The moment the photo is taken, I run to my tripod to see how it turned out.

Vanessa clears her throat. “Is that what you think is sexy?”

Excuse me?I don’t like what she’s insinuating, and I cross my arms over my chest with a quiet huff. I know what sexy is.

“Gray likes my thighs,” I argue.

Vanessa raises a brow and takes a sip of her tea. She’s mocking me, and I frown as I glance at the photo I just took. I thought I looked good, but now she’s got me questioning it.

“What would you recommend?” I ask.

Vanessa redresses in modest clothing before grabbing the camera and tripod.

“Follow me,” she says.

She bundles everything under her arm before making her way outside. I was purposefully doing this inside so my people wouldn’t see, and my cheeks turn a bright shade of red as Vanessa storms through the woods with the camera equipment.

A few shifters cast us curious glances, but I ignore them.

Vanessa leads me to the pile of wood I’ve been working on splitting these past few days and sets the camera up to face it.

“Chop the wood,” she orders.

I suck my cheeks into my mouth, unsure how this is sexy, before grabbing my axe and splitting a few logs. Vanessa takes photos of me, near-constant giggles slipping from her lips before she decides she’s got a good one.

I drop my axe and rush to her side. “I want to see.”

She shakes her head, the evil woman, and begins walking away. I follow, silently noting that she thinks me chopping wood is sexy.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else excites her.

Vanessa leads me to the nearest lake and sits on a large rock on the bank.

“Take off your leathers,” she orders.

I hesitate, unsure what she’s thinking, before stripping. Vanessa eyes me, and I shift my weight from foot to foot as I await further instruction. We’re alone right now, but I can’t guarantee that’ll last.

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